Three Huskies Nominated For American Athletic Conference Fifth Anniversary Team

UConn's Obi Melifonwu (20) and ECU's Zay Jones (7) dive to catch a pass in this 2016 file photo. Both Melifonwu and Jones were nominated to the American Athletic Conference Fifth Anniversary Team. (Courtesy of Joe Pellegrino / The Daily Reflector)

The American Athletic Conference opened fan voting Monday for its fifth anniversary all-conference football team, which will be named during the celebration of the conference’s five-year anniversary at the annual summer kickoff and media day July 24 in Newport, R.I.

Three former UConn football players made the ballot — linebacker Yawin Smallwood, cornerback Jamar Summers and safety Obi Melifonwu.

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Players on the ballot were nominated for being chosen all-conference first team at least once during their careers, or for making the all-conference second team multiple times. The American Athletic Conference asked fans to select players at each position, ranging from one kicker and punter to five defensive linemen and linebackers. In addition to the nominees on the ballot, the conference allows write-in selections.

Smallwood was a surefire tackler in his UConn days. The Worcester, Mass., native led the team in tackles his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons with 120 and 118 tackles, respectively. Smallwood was first-team All-Big East in 2012 and first-team All-American Athletic Conference in its first year, 2013.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Smallwood in the seventh round of the NFL draft in 2014, but was waived before ever seeing the field in a regular-season game.

Summers finished his UConn career in December 2017 with 12 career interceptions, including eight in his sophomore year. He was a first-team all-conference selection that year, helping the Huskies to the St. Petersburg Bowl. Summers earned 183 career tackles during his time in Storrs, and was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

Before Melifonwu wowed NFL scouts with his athleticism at the NFL scouting combine, he was regularly making an impact at safety for the Huskies. The London-born Melifonwu registered a team-high 128 tackles his final season, including a 24-tackle performance against Tulane on Nov. 26, 2016, earning himself first-team honors.

Melifonwu was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders.